Rubber cushioned heel



- HQG. NoRwooD RUBBER GUSHIONED HEEL Dec. 2-. 1930.

Original Filed Jan. 15 1925 Reiuued Dec. 2, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE my a. :aonwoon, o1- mrmoan' mums, assmxon, IBY um assmnnsm'rs, 'ro BALLOON nonmra 1mm. conronarron, a coarona'rlon or nmwm RUBBER cusmonnn 1mm.

{Original Io. 1,688,701, dated August 8, 1927, Serial 110. 2,682, fled January 18, 1985.

- reissue filed. August 7, 1929. Serial Ho. 384,055. 7

tom of a solid heel.

, The principal object of the present invention is to pro uce a non-slip heel-lifts To the accomplishment of this object a feature of the present invention contemplates the rovision in a heel-lift having a bed portion adapted to be attached to a solid hee said body portion having a tread face and a normally elevated portion projecting therefrom constructed to flatten mto the plane of said tread face under pressure, of a rubber means having a greater resiliency than the body portion interposed between the back face 0 the normally elevated portion and the solid heel for resisting the flattening of the elevated portion.

With this construction the compressed elastic rubber means applies pressure to the back face of the normall elevated ortion after it has been flattene into the p ane of the tread face and thus causes it to grip the engaged surface, in an excellent non-slip manner;

Other features of the present invention relate to certain devices, combinations and arrangements of parts fully set forth hereinafter, the advantages of which will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

The various features of the present invention will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings, in which, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the heellift engaged with thesolid heel of a shoe,

Fig. 2 IS a sectional elevation of the heellift attached to the solid heel of a shoe;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the heel-lift; Iiiltiig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the heel- Fig. 5 is a bottom plan of the heel-lift, and Fig. 6 is a plan of the heel-lift. 1 In he embodiment ofthe invention illustrated in the draw' the heel-lift 5, as

usual, is compound from rubber stock.

The heel-lift 2 is provided with an upper or.

attachin face 4 and a tread face 7 The attaching ace 4 is provided with an inclined peripheral edge 3 and with a heel-shaped Application for central cavity or recess 5 in inwardl spaced relation to the peripheral edge 3. e tread face 7 is provided with a flat marginal portion and a normally elevated portlon forming the outer face of the lower wall of the cavity 5. i The marginal portion of the tread face is provided with the usual holes 8 having washers 9 through which fastenings 10 are driven to hold the rubber heel in position on the solidheel 1. I

The normally elevated portion of the tread face is flattened into the plane of the tread face by the pressure exerted by the wearer in standin or walking. In v order to permit this an thento cause the normally elevated portion, after it has been flattened into the plane of the tread face, to. 'p the ground, the back face of the norma ly elevated portion is provided with a ost or cushioning element 6. In the embmfiment 'of the present invention illustrated in the drawings the post 6 is hollowed out on its u per end to form a cup the peripheral edge 0 which engages the solidheeL- This construction renders the The cushioning element 6 is integrall connected to the back face of the normall elevated portion and rises clear of the wa s of the cavity 5 substantially to the plane. ofthe attaching face. When the rubber heel-lift- 2 isto be applied to the solid heel'it is laced in the position shown in Fig. 1 an then drawn up into the position shown in Fig. 2 by the fastenings 10. The beveled ed e causes theheel-lift to fit tightly to the soli heel and is, the cushioning element 6. exerts normally no pressure on the back face of the normally elevated portion. As soon, however, as pressure is exerted on the normally elevated portion, tending to flatten it into the plane of mo post more resilient than the body portion of p the heel-lift.

the tread face, the cushioning element is compressed and ex ands into' the recess 5 as shown in dotted es, Fig. 2.

The cushioning element compresses readily during the flattening movement of' the nor- 'mally elevated portion and yields sufliciently to permit the normally elevated ortion to flatten in to the plane of the tread ace. This because the post 6, which is hollowed out on the up r end, has a greater resiliency than the bo portion of the rubber heel 2 and offers comparatively slight resistance initially to the compression of the rubber heel due to the thin peripheral edge of the former be; ing then in contact withthe shoe heel. As the weight of the walker is brought down on the heel, however,the compression of the post 6 follows but the resistance to compression gradually increases due to the increasing thicknes, lower down the post, of the sum lar portion resulting from cuppin or dishing'theupper face of the post. ull compression of the heel finally transfers the pressure to the full body of the post at which time resistance to depression of the under face of the heel is greatest. Thus, the particular form of provided serves as a means to increasing y resist upward pressure on the lower surface of the heel as well as to'ofier an abnormal resistance to upward pressure just prior to the convexed portion reaching the ane of the lower-surface of the heel.

vl ithout the post, the concavity 5 is substantially volumetrically'equal to that' ortion of the heel constituting the bulge or convexed portion and thus the air chamber.

provided by the concavity is sufficient to entrap the necessary quantity of air to effect a substantial resistance to upward movement of the bulged or convexed portion, this resistance being greater than that afforded by the matiefrial of the bulged or convexed portion itse It will be apparent to those skilled in therubber-heel art that changes may be made in the details of construction, the described and illustrated embodiment of the invention bein intended as an exploitation ofit'si undersaid heel body lyi ng essentials, the features whereof will be efinitely stated in their true scope in the claims hereto appended.

What is claimed as new, is: v

1. A cushion heel, comprising a resilient heel body of rubber having a tread surface, an upper surface, and a peripheral surface, said upper surfacebeing provided with a recess in inwardly spaced relation to said peripheral surface, and a cushioning element also of rubber and of greater resiliency than disposed in said recess, and substantially integrally connected to the heel bod ,said heel having a space in relation to sai cushio element into which said element expands in its compressed relation. 7

2. A cushion heel, comprising a resilient .said tread face under within the concavity with apost having its lower face, said cushion lift be -per surface substantially. flus with the upper v surface of .said heel body disposed in said recess in inwardly spaced relation to the wall. of said recessto form an air pocket surrounding said cushioning element, .said cushioning element adapted to expand into said air pocket in its compressed relation.

3. A cushion heel, comprising a resilient heel .body having a tread surface, an upper surface, and a peripheral surface, cushioning means of greater resiliency than said heel body within said heel in inwardly s aced relation to said peripheral surface, an projecting means onv said tread surface in opposed relation to said cushionin means adapted upon pressure being applie against sai ace to compress said cushiontread sur ing means. c a

4. A rubber heel-lift having a bod portion adapted to be attached to a soli heel,

said body portion having a tread face and a normally elevated portion projecting therefrom constructed to flatten 1nto the plane of said tread face under pressure, anda rubber means of greater resiliencythan the body portion interposed between the back face of said elevated portion and the solid heel for directly resisting the initial flattening of the elevated portion.

adapted to be attached to a solid heel, said.

body ortion having a tread face and a norma ly elevated portion projecting therefrom constructed to flatten into the lane of ressure, an means of greater resihenc than the body portionintegrall connec to the back face of said elevate rtion and clear therefrom, norma y inactive, for I 'rectly resisting the initial flattening of the elevated portio r v 6. The combination with a shoe hav' a heel, of a cushion lift securedto the un er face of-the heel and having a concavity in its upper face and a substantial convexity on its lower face, said cushion lift being provided its upper end in the plane of the shoe heel, the

ost offering initial depression of the convexity and continued and increasing resistance as the depression of the convexity is increased.

7. The combination with a shoe havin a heel, of a cushion lift secured to the un er face of the heel and having a'concavity in its upper face and a substantial convexity on ing P vided within the concavity with a post ha its upper end in the plane of the shoe 2%,

immediate resistance to the its rubber "maeo Y the post ofiering immediate resistance to the initial depression of the convexity and con tinued and increasing resistance as the de pression of the convexity is increased, the postbeing hollowed out at the upper end to provide an annular extremity which is fiorinally in superficial contact with the shoe ee In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY G. NORWOOD. 

